Technological advances in networking systems continue to facilitate ease of information transfer and convenience to users. The proliferation of local, regional, and global networks such as the Internet has availed a sea of information to the consuming public. These networking technologies have expanded to increasingly include wireless and mobile technologies. Information can be downloaded to desktop systems, wireless systems, mobile systems, etc. through a variety of interconnected networks. For example, information available via the Internet can be downloaded onto mobile wireless units, such as cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, etc.
Through the introduction of current and future access technologies such as General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), etc., data subscribers will experience and use an unprecedented variety of new services based on the subscriber's location, selected content, and personal preferences. In this arena operators and service providers compete to offer differentiated service variety and pricing. As new services are rolled out, the time-to-market issue affecting these competitive new services becomes a paramount concern, and delays due to integration requirements with charging and billing systems becomes increasingly intolerable.
Network elements related to charging, billing, rating, etc. (hereinafter generally referred to as charging elements) can be complex. For example, rating engines are often required to handle a very large number of permutations resulting from factors such as rating multiple services, each which includes a great number of flexible pricing and discounting variables. Charging elements may be based on different pricing options, such as postpaid, direct pay, prepaid or other real-time payment options. Further, charging can be based on a combination of data volume, duration, type of content, transaction, etc. All of these different variables make charging elements, and communicating with such charging elements, quite complex.
In a conventional billing system, each of the services communicates charging/billing information, such as call-detail records (CDRs), to the charging elements. However, each of the various network elements may collect and provide CDR information in different formats. The charging elements need to know the format used by each particular network element in order to comprehend its content. This fact, coupled with the complexities of charging elements described above, typically requires that an “integration” be performed for each network element handled by the charging elements. More particularly, the charging and billing elements must undergo an integration to allow it to understand and communicate with each of the network elements in which it is to collect and process charging and billing information. These custom modifications at the charging elements present a significant task, requiring colossal amounts of time and money, and have a major adverse impact on getting a new service to market quickly. The problem of requiring such integration is exacerbated as new services and network elements continue to be designed and deployed in the network.
Furthermore, charging for network services can be based on postpaid, prepaid, direct pay, and other real-time or non-real-time payment methodologies. As new network systems are presented in the networks, these various payment approaches add significant complexities to existing charging and billing methodologies. For example, as more and more real-time interaction is required between networks and Operations Support Systems (OSS) systems, custom solutions must continually be derived. There is currently no manner of facilitating the integration of these new systems into existing networks in an expeditious and effective manner.
Therefore, the challenge still remains to expedite the interfacing of services and charging elements, and reduce the resulting interface complexities in these network elements. The present invention provides a solution to these and other shortcomings of the prior art, and offers additional advantages over the prior art.